MEDIA RELEASE: Victoria Road in Prince Edward County voted Ontario’s Worst Road.

The votes are in and the CAA Worst Road for 2021 is Victoria Road in Prince Edward County. Making its debut on the Ontario top 10 list, voters cited potholes and crumbling pavement as the main concerns for the Prince Edward County road.

Taking the second and third place spots are Carling Avenue in Ottawa and Barton Street East in Hamilton, respectively.

“The quality of our roadways affect everyone,” says Tina Wong, government relations specialist for CAA South Central Ontario. “Our roads are the arteries used every day to keep essential workers, goods and services flowing. They should be maintained now more than ever.”

Two notable changes in this year’s list include Riverdale Drive in Washago coming off the provincial top 10 list and Toronto’s Eglinton Ave East dropping from first to fifth place.

“As people continue working from home and traveling locally during the pandemic, we are seeing different roads appear on the list. We should continue taking advantage of these lighter traffic patterns as an opportunity for necessary road repairs,” adds Wong.

In Ontario, 117 municipalities saw roads in their communities nominated. Drivers accounted for a majority of the votes being cast, with cyclists and pedestrians accounting for about a quarter of the votes.

Voters shared their primary reasons for selecting a road, with 81 per cent citing potholes or crumbling pavement, followed by traffic congestion (11 per cent) and no or poor walking infrastructure (7 per cent).

Ontario’s top 10 list is verified by the Ontario Road Builders’ Association (ORBA).

“We are very pleased to partner with CAA on the 2021 Worst Roads Campaign. ORBA provides analysis on the nominated roads, sheds light on why they were chosen and what issues are impacting them. Increased investment in our transportation infrastructure is vital in order to effectively maintain existing assets and plan for the future.” - Doubra Ambaiowei, Technical Director, Ontario Road Builders’ Association.

Ontario’s Top 10 Worst Roads for 2021

1. Victoria Road, Prince Edward County
2. Carling Avenue, Ottawa
3. Barton Street East, Hamilton
4. County Road 49, Prince Edward County
5. Eglinton Avenue East, Toronto
6. Hunt Club Road, Ottawa
7. Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto
8. Innes Road, Ottawa
9. Algonquin Boulevard West, Timmins
10. Queen Street, Kingston

Worst Roads by Region

• Central— Bell Farm Road, Barrie
• Eastern— Victoria Road, Prince Edward County
• Halton-Peel-York-Durham— Speers Roads, Oakville
• Niagara— Whirlpool Road, Niagara Falls
• North— Algonquin Boulevard West, Timmins
• South West— Plank Road, Sarnia
• Western— York Road, Guelph

The CAA Worst Roads campaign is a platform for Ontarians to make roads safer by helping municipal and provincial governments understand what roadway improvements are important to citizens and where they need to be made.

Votes submitted to the CAA Worst Roads campaign are compiled and released as an annual provincial top 10 list along with a series on regional lists, all designed to spark a dialogue with governments and to help pave the way for safer roads across Ontario.

For the full list of the 2021 Worst Roads, please visit www.caasco.com/worstroads